UMPIRE Fergus Murphy was briefly forced to delay Harriet Dart’s first round Wimbledon clash… to remove a cork screw from the court.
British hopeful Dart, 27, took on Chinese qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan first up on Court 18 yesterday.
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With Bai, 21, waiting to serve down 3-2, 40-40 in the first set, umpire Murphy noticed something amiss.
The Irishman announced: “Thanks ballgirl… can you pick up the cork.”
As the ballgirl obliged before scurrying off, Murphy addressed the crowd.
He said: “Ladies and gentlemen, you should do that in the changeovers. Open the bottles in the changeovers, thanks.”
A clip of the exchange subsequently went viral, with fans loving the quintessentially Wimbledon scene.
One wrote on social media: “We are so back.”
While a second joshed: “Only at Wimbledon.”
A third joked: “Must be a spectator with a bubbly nature.”
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And another added: “Classic.”
Unperturbed, Dart went on to win 6-4 6-0 to book a Battle of Britain round two clash with compatriot Katie Boulter.
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Asked about her relationship with Boulter following yesterday’s triumph, Dart said: “We’re team-mates. We played big tournaments. We’ve grown up together. We’ve been close.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s always going to be tricky, whoever I play, especially when you play a fellow Brit.
“But it’s great to see that all of us are doing well and putting us in positions where we do get to play each other, hopefully more so in the latter rounds.
“I’m not seeded, so I always knew I’m going to play a seeded player at some point. She’s been having an amazing year.
“She’s been playing great. Expect a very tough match, whoever it will be.”
Later quizzed about playing Dart, Boulter said: “For me, every single match counts. I think we both know each other’s games inside-out, back-to-front at this point. We’ve played so many matches.
“But I do have to draw on the last things that I have played with her and use that to my advantage in the next round.
“I think it’s going to be extremely tough. I have a lot of respect for her on this surface. It’s one of her favourite ones.
“This is actually her home club. She’s been here since she was a tiny tot with her mum.
“I know she’s grown up here. I know how tough it’s going to be. I think it’s exciting. You have two Brits here who are playing some very good tennis.
“She’s someone that’s going to make it very hard for me. I’m going to have to bring my A game.”
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